Seeing patients in Minnesota
Women in Minnesota deserve clear answers, compassionate support, and evidence‑based care during perimenopause and menopause. At Vital Woman Care, we help you understand your symptoms, balance your hormones naturally when possible, and guide you through every stage of midlife with personalized treatment options. Whether you’re navigating early perimenopause, experiencing new menopause symptoms, or unsure what’s normal, we’re here to help you feel like yourself again.
Christine Aas-Larson is a Family Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years of experience in primary care and women’s health. She is a seasoned medical provider who believes in partnering with patients with compassion, transparency and respect as they navigate their health journey. Since that time, she has provided evidence-based, personalized care for women as they transition through all stages of their hormonal journey. From recognizing the first signs of perimenopause to effectively managing late-stage menopause symptoms, Christine partners with you to create a customized care plan.
Menopause is a natural physiologic process that marks the end of a women’s reproductive years and typically occurs between the ages of 45 – 55. Medical menopause refers to the cessation of menses that occurs after surgery or chemotherapy. Both are characterized by a drop in estrogen, progesterone and sometimes testosterone. This drop in hormones affects each woman uniquely. Some woman have minimal symptoms while other woman may experience night sweats, hot flashes, sleep disruption, mood changes, metabolic shifts, increased joint and bone pain, bladder and vaginal issues and changes in sex drive.
What is perimenopause, and how do you know if you are in it? Perimenopause is the transitional phase leading up to menopause when your hormone levels begin to fluctuate. Common signs of perimenopause include irregular periods, sleep disturbances, brain fog, and mood swings. Many women start experiencing these early menopause symptoms in their 40s, sometimes years before their periods stop completely. Understanding the difference between perimenopause vs menopause is the first step in getting the right targeted treatment.
Hot flashes during menopause are linked to overactivity of certain neurons (KNDy neurons) in a region of the brain called the hypothalamus. Dropping estrogen levels in menopause stimulate these neurons, causing dysregulation in how the body controls its temperature.
At the most basic level, HT replaces female hormones, primarily estrogen and progestogens, that are lost during the menopause transition. HT can be delivered orally, through the skin (transdermal), and vaginally. Estrogen can be taken alone if a woman no longer has a uterus. Otherwise, a progestogen is needed to protect the uterus from unopposed estrogen. Hormone therapy is FDA-approved as a first-line therapy for the relief of bothersome night sweats/hot flashes and is shown to be the most effective treatment. Estrogen is also FDA-approved for prevention of osteoporosis. Careful consideration of your medical history, symptoms and goals for treatment is needed to determine if and what kind of hormone therapy may be right for you. If you are not a candidate for hormone therapy or would prefer to avoid hormones, there are
nonhormonal options for treatment of night sweat and hot flashes, mood changes, and vaginal symptoms.
Bioidentical hormones have the same chemical and molecular structure as the body’s natural hormones. FDA-approved bioidentical hormone therapy products are available as prescriptions and typically tend to be covered by insurance.
